Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications are increasingly affecting hospital operations and the U.S. healthcare industry.
Here are seven updates on the popular drug class, listed by publishing date in Becker's:
1. Experts who study the illegal drug supply market told The New York Times they are worried about the rising demand for GLP-1 medications from counterfeit sources.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy has identified thousands of websites selling counterfeit GLP-1 medications, and the FDA has seized thousands of fake Ozempic units. Drugmakers have filed lawsuits against companies allegedly selling unapproved products, but the market seems to be growing for "faux-zempic."
2. Researchers at Oxford University in England found a potential link between semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus) and lower risk of cognitive issues.
After studying more than 100 million U.S. patient records, the researchers noted that patients taking Ozempic had a nearly 50% lower risk of dementia compared to those taking sitagliptin, an older Type 2 diabetes drug.
3. If Eli Lilly's weight loss drug Zepbound is approved for sleep apnea, analysts predict insurers and employers will increase their GLP-1 coverage. The FDA is expected to decide on the potential indication by the end of 2024.
4. As researchers investigate the tentative uses of these medications, oncologists told Becker's they do not foresee this drug class to affect cancer care. If patients who have cancer and take a GLP-1 require an emergency surgery, there might be complications because the medicines lessen the effect of fasting. Also, some studies have linked the drugs to a lower cancer risk, but there's no consensus and real-life implications are far away, the oncologists said.
5. It's unclear which GLP-1 medication is the best one for weight loss. Most are approved for Type 2 diabetes, not chronic weight management, but each has some data on the average weight loss among patients. A few trials have compared the weight loss results from Ozempic and Mounjaro — both diabetes medications — but most studies focus on one drug, differ in length and have dissimilar endpoints.
6. Between 2019 and 2023, more prescriptions for GLP-1s were written to treat obesity rather than Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published July 23 in Annals of Internal Medicine.
About 65% of GLP-1 users had Type 2 diabetes between 2011 and 2014, while nearly 47% had a body mass index of 30 or higher. From 2019 to 2023, more than 54% of prescriptions were for patients with Type 2 diabetes, while 66% of new prescriptions were for patients with a BMI of at least 30.
7. Drugmakers are recording surging shares after publishing positive GLP-1 trial results. After Roche announced promising findings from a 25-person phase 1 study, the company's market value rose $16.8 billion. Pfizer, Zealand Pharma, Amgen and Novo Nordisk have noted similar stock jumps.
On July 25, shares of Viking Therapeutics increased 28% after sharing plans to advance its experimental obesity injection to phase 3, CNBC reported.
Readers interested in the effects of GLP-1s on health systems and questions about their role in care delivery over the next 18 months are invited to join Becker's for a complimentary editorial webinar on this topic. Sign up here.